Sagitarius Tattoo Design: Why A Centaur?

Posted on July 14, 2009
Filed Under Tattoo Designs, Tattoo Meanings | 2 Comments

I’ve decided to continue the topic of Zodiac signs, and after having described a ram head tattoo and other possible variants of an Aries tattoo design I am going to proceed with Sagittarius tattoo design.

Sagittarius is a sign of the fire element. A person born under this sign can be quite independent and energetic, such person will do everything possible to reach its goal, it is very sociable and curious. Though a Sagittarius gets along with everybody easily – it can be a hard task to win this person’s heart.

Sagitarius Tattoo Design: Why A Centaur?

If we search for such designs on the Internet we’ll find a lot of common images with an arrow sign. They are very popular because they can be of different sizes, thus a Sagittarius tattoo can be hidden so that it could be seen only by chosen ones. Due to certain simplicity of this sign it can be combined with other designs, for example – with other Zodiac signs. This idea will be great for you if you want to show the bond between you and other person dear to your heart.

Sagitarius Tattoo Design: Why A Centaur?

Nevertheless, such tattoo designs can be huge and impressive – like the one on this picture.

Sagitarius Tattoo Design: Why A Centaur?

But the most popular design for a Sagittarius sigh is a centaur with a bow that is about to shoot an arrow. It all goes back to the ancient Greek mythology. According to a Greek legend, the wisest of all centaurs, Cheiron, created the first model of celestial sphere and left one place in the Zodiac circle for himself. But he was outstripped by an artful centaur Crotos that took his place and became a Sagittarius sign that protects the place with the help of a bow and an arrow. Poor Cheiron, though, managed to get on the celestial model, too – as the Centaur constellation. There’s also another, more logical explanation. A centaur symbolizes the unity of a man’s wisdom and a horse’s power – those two qualities that every Sagittarius possesses.

Sagitarius Tattoo Design: Why A Centaur?

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Scandinavian Tattoo Ideas

Posted on July 9, 2009
Filed Under Before You Decide, Tattoo Designs, Tattoo Meanings | 1 Comment

Scandinavian tattoos are very popular nowadays, and sometimes one can find it difficult to get a suitable and unique Scandinavian tattoo design. In this post I offer you some ideas about such designs that you may use in creating your own tattoo.

First of all – there are some charms, such as “Aegishjalmur” - “helm of awe” and “Vegvisir” (runic compass), which is a variant of the Aegishjalmur.

Aegishjalmur is believed to bring protection and resistance in battles, while Vegvisir shows its owner the way and guides him or her. Below you may see a tattooed variant of this charm.

Another charm is Valnott – it is the symbol of those who dedicated their lives to the main Scandinavian god – Odin. It has a complex meaning of triple nature of Odin and three worlds – Asguard, Midgard and Utgard. Nevertheless, when one consciously wears the valknot, one is saying “it is a good day to die.” In other words, the wearer is ready to come to Odin whenever He calls. So, as you can see, valnott is not very popular tattoo design and should be chosen with care.

Another variant of Scandinavian tattoo is runes – the ancient alphabetic script used by the peoples of Northern Europe from the first century until well into the Middle Ages. Right here you can find their meanings and make up your own runic signs. Runes can also go well with the charms described above or with any others as well.

You can also design a tattoo of Odin or any other Scandinavian god that you like. Odin is the creator of the world, god of war, storms, trade and seafaring. His wife Frigg is the goddess of love, marriage and home fire. Loki is a canny god whose actions are hard to predict. Einherii are the fallen soldiers that after their death come to Valhalla – a heavenly hall for chosen ones, where the sit near Odin and celebrate their eternity. By the way, it seems to be a good design for a fallen soldier tattoo. Valkiries – women fighters that bring the fallen soldiers to Valhalla are a good choice for a tattoo, too.

Another interesting tattoo design, to my mind, can be wolf Fenrir – a monstrous creature that will devour Odin when the world will end. Among popular Scandinavian animals are also Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of Odin and ravens that represent wisdom, intelligence, the ability to see all, swift travel, and magic. On the picture below you can see Odin riding his horse.

Delve into the Scandinavian mythology and you’ll find many ideas for a wonderful tattoo design.

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Wars And Their Sad Legacy: Fallen Soldier Tattoo

Posted on July 7, 2009
Filed Under Curious Tattoo Facts, Tattoo Designs | 1 Comment

All people struggle for a good and decent life in their free and united countries, but sometimes these struggles end up in wars between nations or even between brothers. No matter how strongly we object to wars – they will never end – unless we all find a way to live in forever harmony, which is almost impossible because of the changeable human’s nature.

Tattoos have their own history and their own way in the military events. Since ancient times tattoos served as identification marks, that helped to recognize the wounded or the dead soldiers. At first tattoos showed the soldier’s belonging to a certain army, later there could be placed the soldier’s name. In the 20th century all members of the SS in Germany had these two letters in the shape of lightning plus their blood group tattooed thus providing the necessary information for the medics that could help a wounded soldier to survive.

Nowadays there is an interesting tendency among soldiers: those who are about to take part in the military event tattoo something that will help the identification process. And designs of such tattoos are quite simple and widely spread – hearts with ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’, crosses, bottles of booze. That’s when people’s religion, character and attitude to life come out – you can get it from the type of the tattoo they get. The so-called ‘meat tags’ are also common, when soldiers have their name, rank, blood type and Social Security number tattooed on their ribs. Ribs are the most secure part of body, because limbs may be lost in an explosion.

Wars And Their Sad Legacy: Fallen Soldier Tattoo

But when a soldier gets back he usually gets a memorial tattoo. Like other people sometimes do ‘in loving memory’ tattoos to pay tribute to their loved ones, so does a soldier get a tattoo, that commemorates his lost friends, his lost hopes and… his lost pre-war life, because a person that has returned from war will never be the same again. There is a lot of fallen soldier tattoo designs, for example, American soldiers get a skeleton climbing out of a coffin and reaching for a Kevlar helmet or an M-4 rifle planted in a pair of boots and topped with a Kevlar helmet.

For many soldiers getting a tattoo is a way to fight their pain and grief. But it is in our power to lessen the number of such tattoos. Make peace, not war!

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Interesting Hints About Aries And Ram Head Tattoo

Posted on July 2, 2009
Filed Under Before You Decide, Tattoo Designs, Tattoo Meanings | 1 Comment

Every person who wants to get a tattoo searches for something unique and original, but sometimes it can end up in getting one of the perverted tattoos. Sometimes in pursuit of something eccentric we make mistakes, while sticking to classic patterns can bring some pleasant surprises – like in the situation with the Zodiac signs.

Zodiac signs are considered to be universal – they carry information about people, organizations, countries, etc. When a person is born under a certain Zodiac sign, then he or she comes to the world with certain ‘haves’ and ‘wants’. Every Zodiac sign can show the person’s goals, problems and ways in life. It is believed that Zodiac signs influence our life, creating our unique characters and tastes.

Today we’ll delve into the first Zodiac sign – Aries. Aries belongs to the fire element and symbolizes bravery, courage, responsiveness, vitality and action. The symbol of Aries is ram’s head, or letter ‘V’ with slightly curved ends (like the ram’s horns).

Interesting Hints About Aries And Ram Head Tattoo

Ideas for tattoo designs of Aries Ram are numerous. It can be the Aries constellation of stars framed with a ram’s body outline, small tattoos of Aries sign or varied images of ram. There’s also a popular Greek legend about Phrixus and his sister Helle – children of the goddess of clouds, who were saved from death by a golden ram, who carried them away from their evil stepmother. Unfortunately, Helle fell off the ram and died, but her brother reached the safe place and sacrificed the ram to thank gods. The ram’s golden fleece was hung on an oak tree and a monstrous dragon became its guardian. This legend gives us a great source for tattoo designs: you can have children on the golden ram’s back inked or an oak tree with the fleece and the dragon – such tattoos can make a perfect choice for a sleeve.

If you are born under the Aries sign (March, 21 – April, 20) then you have a great opportunity to make a very interesting tattoo that will have both the aesthetic and personal meaning. In addition to the variants stated above here are some more design that are quite unusual but very pretty.